Tag: nail polish

The past two weeks have been filled with lots of Halloween makeup and nail fun. Today I wanted to share with you two of my Halloween-inspired nail ideas that I got from CutePolish. If you don’t follow her on Youtube you are missing out!

Here’s the first one…

Monster Buddies

This one works great on oval/stiletto- shaped nails. For Frankenstein, paint your middle finger nail two coats of an opaque light green. Create the hair, brows and nose with a black striper. Make the eyeballs using the end of a bobby pin with black polish first, then white. For the Mummy, paint your ring finger nail two solid coats of white and let dry. Then use a black striper for the lines. Fill in one triangle with black, then add two white dots (with the end of a bobby pin) for eyes, and finish off with smaller orange or red dots for “scary eyes.”

Dia de Los Muertos Sugar Skulls

I got a ton of compliments on this one. Paint three of your nails a bright blue (or any bright color you like!) Paint the middle two fingernails two solid coats of white. Create the eye sockets with a the end of a bobby pin and black polish. Pick 3-4 bright colors and apply them around the eye sockets with either a toothpick or a nail dotting tool (use the tiny end for these). For the nose, apply two dots of black then connect them with a black striper. For the teeth, create 8 big dots of black (four on top, four on bottom), then after it dries, add 8 smaller coats of white, leaving the edges of the black exposed. Finally draw a line between the teeth with a black striper. Done!

Which one is your favorite? Let me know if you try any of these designs I’d love to see them!

Fall has been a whirlwind. I’ve been working 6-7 days a week (happily, might I add) but that doesn’t mean I let my nail art fall by the wayside. Here’s what’s been on my tips this past season.

Ursula Nails

These nails look “sinister-cool”, just like The Little Mermaid’s villain, Ursula. I used Essie’s Chinchilly, which is a neutral plum-grey, for the base. I followed the sharp tips of my nails for the stripes of black. You can also rock this look on square-shaped nails, just line the black polish at an angle for the same effect!

Teal Time Nails

If you follow this blog, then you know that I’m a sucker for anything teal. For this look, I rocked a deep dark teal polish on all my nails except for my accent nail, which I chose to paint with Essie’s Mint Candy Apple. I topped off the thumb with Deborah Lippman’s dreamy confection, Across The Universe. The reason this look works is because the polishes I chose are in the same color family, just different shades. You could also recreate this look with purples, reds, oranges, etc. Just keep them all in the same color!

Purple Rain Nails

These nails pay homage to the concept above, except I did it in purple. I chose five different shades of purple- eggplant, eggplant-glitter, fuschia, grey-plum and lilac.

Metallic Plaid

This one’s a repeat design from a look I rocked last fall. I chose a polish with a duo-chrome finish for the base and used a black striper for the stripes. The accent nail in black just makes the whole look sleeker.

What is your favorite nail design? Will you try any of these? I’d love to see any recreations! Hashtag your photos on Instagram with #leadingladynails

Pantone, the world-renowned authority of color, has crowned emerald as the “Color of the Year” for 2013. In honor of this rich gem of a shade, I’m hosting a giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a bottle of Sheswai’s “Dig It” shade.

About Sheswai- “Modern Glamour with a Rootsy Feel”

Sheswai is a California-based eco-friendly company that makes formeldahyde-free nail polishes. The formula has a rich opacity and can be worn with just one coat. Not only are Sheswai products cruelty-free (yay!) but the adorable wood bottle caps are made with sustainable harvested wood (reducing the use of plastic).

Sheswai was created by a Hollywood manicurist (Debbie Leavitt) who started using it on photo shoots where it soon became a favorite. With articles in Refinery 29, Martha Stewart and Goop, Sheswai is gaining popularity while also helping the planet. You can purchase online and at various salons all over the country.

Missed my nails? Well here’s a recap of all the nail art I’ve been sporting in the new year.Before we start I just want to clarify that I am NOT a professional manicurist, I am simply a nail art enthusiast and trust me, my designs are all kinds of wobbly and imperfect. But who cares? They’re just nails. Anyway, let’s dig in!

You will notice that lately I’ve been obsessed with Essie’s Minted Candy Apple shade. It’s slightly brighter than last year’s seafoam-green trend and it just makes me happy. The cool pastel will brighten up your finger tips while still being “office-friendly.” Here I paired it with Essie’s Chinchilly and a silver metallic shade to bring you an argyle print.

I followed up with a simple and easy polka-dot design. Paint your nails two coats of your favorite mint shade, then spot on silver polka-dots with the end of a bobby pin. InstaCUTE!

Here I tried it with Loreal’s Nail Lingerie on top. I loved the way this turned out! If you missed my last post, click HERE to watch my review of the Colour Riche Nail Lingerie.

I took a break from the mint and stepped into the Pantone Color of The Year, Emerald. I went with Revlon’s lovely shade called Posh and threw in some black and white dots and stripes for fun.

Looks like I missed that Minted Candy Apple again. To “spring” it up, I threw on some black and white daisies over (gasp!) clear, bald nails.

Here’s what I’m currently wearing, and what I’m most proud of. I can’t begin to describe my love for the black and white trend we are seeing on the runways for Spring. Everyone looks good in this combo! It translates beautifully into nail art. I did daisies on the thumb, Beetlejuice-esque stripes, reverse polka-dots, white lace and a stamp-on graffiti design.

Hope you enjoyed this peek into my nail-art life! Which design will you try?